Starfield High Price to Pay mission: Should you defend the Lodge or go to The Eye?

High Price to Pay is an important mission that carries permanent consequences for your companions in Starfield. The mission begins with a decision to either travel to The Eye to visit your injured allies or stay and defend the Artifacts from the Hunter. No matter your choice in this mission, you will be putting at least half of your companions at risk.

After retrieving another Artifact from Petrov, the Lodge will be threatened by an ominous Starborn named the Hunter. Up until this point, you have likely only encountered this mysterious group a handful of times, but now one is coming directly for your base of operations.

This choice boils down to a choice between saving one of two companions, though it is an opportunity to gain reputation with crewmates if you select the correct options. If you’re stuck trying to choose between defending the lodge or going to The Eye, this is what you need to know.

What happens if you go to the Eye in High Price to Pay?

If you elect to leave your crewmates in the Lodge to defend themselves against the Hunter, you will be directed to visit The Eye. This observation station thankfully is close by, just outside of Jemison’s orbit.

By the time you arrive, the damage from the Hunter has already been done. While injured, you save Sarah, Andreja, Barrett, and Vladimir. Once everyone has been accounted for, you will need to double back to the Lodge.

Upon revisiting the Lodge, you will find the former Freestar Ranger Sam Coe dead. The rest of your companions who elected to stay at the Lodge, Vasco, Matteo, and Walter, are all alive.

From here, you will catch up with Noel, who has gathered all the Artifact parts and hidden in the Well, an area hidden beneath New Atlantis. The Hunter will interrupt your reunion, however, and you will need to race back to your ship with the Starborn on your heels. It’s no use to try and fight the Hunter here, as he will simply teleport with full health.

What happens if you defend the Lodge in High Price to Pay?

If you choose to stay and defend the Lodge in Starfield, Sarah will die of her wounds, though everyone else on The Eye will survive. To remain on the Lodge, you will need to stay as Noel gathers the various Artifacts you have collected up until this point.

The Hunter will infiltrate Constellations’ stronghold shortly after your decision has been locked in, starting off the encounter by choking out Walter. You will need to hold off the Hunter while Noel gathers the remaining Artifact pieces. Be sure to stock up on Medpacks, as the Hunter deals massive amounts of damage and impossible to kill at this stage.

Once Noel has gathered the Artifacts, you will escape through the Well and to your ship at the New Atlantis spaceport. You will then regroup with your allies at The Eye to find Sarah dead, though everyone else from both The Eye and the Lodge will have survived the encounter.

Should you choose to defend the Lodge or go to The Eye in High Price to Pay?

The decision between remaining at the Lodge or going to The Eye is really a choice between saving Sarah Morgan or Sam Coe. If you go to The Eye, Sam dies, while if you remain at the Lodge, Sarah dies.

Ultimately, I elected to save Sarah on my run, but this choice completely depends on your preference for companions. Aside from this consequence, the quest plays out roughly the same no matter your decision. Once you survive the Hunter’s attack and final encounter outside of Jemison’s orbit, you will need to choose where to place your Artifacts and plant your Armillary.